Mexico City plans Underground Buildings

From the outside, they look like three large glass cones buried on Earth. But are the entry of light and air to a giant underground shopping mall in Western Mexico City.Underground constructions can be an alternative to Mexico City, whose 1495 square kilometers area has few regions still available for occupation.

“I think it’s absurd to grow horizontally. The city has grown to such size that the people trying to get to their jobs take two or 3 hours. It’s really absurd, “said Francisco Montes de Oca, Director of Arquitectoma, a company that developed projects of underground buildings.

Tearing up the Earth

One of the most controversial projects is called Rascasuelos, and consists of constructing an inverted pyramid of 65 underground floors to House offices and shops under the country’s main square, the Zocalo, in the Mexican capital.

The pyramid would have a central space to allow air circulation and the entrance of natural light, in spite of all the planned structure be concrete to contain the pressure of the Earth.

The work’s estimated cost of $ 769 million and was designed by the Bunker Group Architecture. The building is in the design phase, but its public performance caused controversy because the area where it is planned to its construction was the heart of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec people, which was built within a lake.

In the Zocalo, there are traces of pre-Hispanic culture.

Outside the square, are some of the most ancient and emblematic buildings of Mexico. It is also a very vulnerable to tremors.

Those responsible for Rascasuelos, however, claim that the project will not affect the region and that the technique of construction provides the risk of movements of Earth. In the center of Mexico City, there are rules to restrict the size of skyscrapers. But the limits are different to those under the Earth.

Cones of light and air

The Garden mall Santa Fe ready and was built in a park nearly abandoned and often used as parking of vehicles. Construction techniques were used in which a concrete wall is built around the excavation to prevent landslides.

Mexico City Underground Building

Glass cones visible from the surface allow air and sunlight, which significantly reduces artificial lighting and, therefore, reduces energy consumption, say the entrepreneurs. In addition, it remained a park with gardens and trees on the surface. Under it, are 65 1000 square meters of built area, in six levels: two for stores and four parking lots.

Fish under the Earth

The main reason why the Inbursa Aquarium was built under the Earth is your owner, Grupo Carso, didn’t want anything to get in the way of the Soumaya Museum view, where is the private collection of the owner of the company, which includes works by Rodin, Salvador Dalí and Tintoretto, among others.

But it was also a practical decision: the land available to build it wouldn’t have space to House 1.7 million liters of sea water, 230 different species, 500 copies and all facilities necessary to keep them.

Mexico City Underground Buildings

Thus, the complex located in northwestern Mexico City was developed into four levels to 25 meters below the Earth.

The visitors ‘ tour begins on the third basement, where are the species that live in greater depth.

The building is surrounded by a wall to prevent landslides and ground movements-a few meters away, there is an area of movement of cargo trains.

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